1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector component formed of an insulating material, and a connector device using a connector component formed of an insulating material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, unbalanced transmission, which uses a voltage to earth (ground potential) to transmit a signal or balanced transmission which uses a potential difference between a pair of two equal signal lines to transmit a signal, provides the common practice of transmitting data between computers or substrates. The signals transmitted or received by unbalanced transmission are called single-ended signals, while the signals transmitted or received by balanced transmission are called differential signals.
The balanced transmission has an advantage in that the differential signals are more resistant to noise than the unbalanced transmission, and the utilization range is increasing. However, the balanced transmission requires pairs of two equal signal lines and has a problem that the cost increases. The unbalanced transmission is adopted in many cases.
Conventionally, a connector adapted to unbalanced transmission signal lines and a connector adapted to balanced transmission signal lines differ in the configuration of insertion holes to which plug pins are inserted.
FIG. 1 illustrates the configuration of a connector for unbalanced transmission according to the related art and a plug side contact member to be connected to the connector.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the plug side member which is connected to the connector 50 for unbalanced transmission, plug side signal contacts 56 and plug side ground contacts 57 are arranged in two rows at predetermined intervals to form two rows of contacts. These contacts are provided for transmitting signals to the jack side member. The plug side ground contacts 57 are connected to the ground potential which is shared with the jack side member.
Alternatively, the signal contacts 56 and the ground contacts 57 may be arranged to form one row of contacts. Alternatively, the signal contacts 56 and the ground contacts 57 may be arranged so that the signal contacts 56 and the ground contacts 57 are alternately arrayed in each row of contacts. The respective contacts are connected to signal lines and ground lines on the back side of the plug.
The connector 50 for unbalanced transmission includes an insulating component 51 which is used as a housing of the connector. The insulating component 51 is formed of a molding component of a synthetic resin which is dielectric. The insulating component 51 includes a plurality of openings 52 which are formed to penetrate the insulating component 51 and arranged at positions confronting the respective plug side contacts.
In the insulating component 51, jack side contacts (not illustrated) are formed inside the openings 52, and these jack side contacts are electrically connected to the plug side signal contacts 56 and the plug side ground contacts 57 when inserted in the openings 52.
When the plug is inserted in the connector 50 for unbalanced transmission, the plug side contacts and the jack side contacts are fitted together by pressure to make the electrical conduction stable.
On the other hand, FIG. 2 illustrates the configuration of a connector for balanced transmission according to the related art and a plug side contact member to be connected to the connector.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, in the plug side member which is connected to the connector 60 for balanced transmission, pairs of plug side signal contacts 66 and 67 and plug side ground contacts 68 are alternately arranged in a line at predetermined intervals. These contacts are provided for transmitting signals to the jack side member. The plug side ground contacts 68 are connected to the ground potential which is shared with the jack side member. In FIG. 2, the details of the plug side ground contacts 68 are not illustrated. Each of the plug side signal contacts 66 and 67 in FIG. 2 has a configuration similar to the configuration of the plug side signal contact 56 or the plug side ground contact 57 in FIG. 1.
Each pair of plug side signal contacts 66 and 67 are provided for transmitting a pair of two complementary signals (+signal and −signal) that are equal in magnitude and opposite in electrical potential. Alternatively, the pairs of plug side signal contacts 66 and 67 may be arranged to form one row of signal contacts similar to the case of the connector 50 for unbalanced transmission. Alternatively, the pairs of plug side signal contacts 66 and 67 may be arranged so that the signal contacts 66 and the signal contacts 67 are alternately arrayed in each row of contacts.
The connector 60 for balanced transmission includes an insulating component 61 which is used as a housing of the connector. The insulating component 61 is formed of a molding component of a synthetic resin which is dielectric. The insulating component 61 includes a plurality of openings 62, 63, and 64 which are arranged at positions confronting the respective plug side contacts. Apart from the connector 50 of FIG. 1, the openings 62, 63, and 64 of the insulating component 61 in the connector 60 of in FIG. 2 have different configurations and are adapted to the plug side contacts 66, 67, and 68 respectively. The plug side signal contacts 66 and 67 are inserted in the openings 62 and 63, and the plug side ground contact 68 is inserted in the opening 64.
In the insulating component 61, jack side contacts (not illustrated) are formed inside the openings 62, 63, and 64, and these jack side contacts are electrically connected to the plug side signal contacts 66 and 67 and the plug side ground contact 68 when inserted in the openings 62, 63, and 64.
As described in the foregoing, the connector for unbalanced transmission and the connector for balanced transmission differ in the size and arrangement of the plug side contact member, and the formation patterns of holes in the insulating components of these connectors are different from each other. For this reason, there has been a problem in that the connector components formed of the same insulating component must be manufactured with different production lines.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-250996 discloses a receptacle (connector) in which different signal contacts and ground contacts of the same insulating component are arranged (see FIGS. 11 and 12).
However, the connector disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 11-250996 can be adapted only to a plug with a special configuration and the general versatility of this connector is low. If this connector is used for parallel transmission (see FIG. 12), ground contacts do not exist at several positions between different pairs of signal contacts and the electromagnetic shielding is inadequate. Therefore, this connector does not offer convenience to customers, and application of this connector for both the unbalanced transmission and the balanced transmission is difficult.